Tragic Suicide of Delhi Student Highlights Alleged Teacher Harassment and School Accountability Issues

The suicide note was discovered in the student's school bag.

New Delhi:

A 16-year-old Class 10 student from one of Delhi's prestigious schools has committed suicide by jumping from a Metro station. In his final note, the teenager blamed his teachers for his decision. The boy's father has filed a case against three teachers and the school principal, accusing them of subjecting his son to such severe mental harassment that he felt compelled to end his life.

The boy's heartbreaking suicide note read, "Sorry mummy, I broke your heart many times and I am doing it for the last time. This is how the teachers in the school are, what do I say?"

According to the First Information Report filed on Wednesday, the teenager had departed for school at his regular time of 7:15 am on Tuesday. Later that day, around 2:45 pm, the father received a call informing him that his son was injured near the Rajendra Place Metro Station in Central Delhi. The father instructed the caller to transport his son to BL Kapoor Hospital, where upon arrival, the family learned that he had succumbed to his injuries.

The father stated that his son jumped from a platform at the elevated metro station after enduring harassment from three teachers and the school principal. According to friends of the deceased, one teacher had been threatening him for four days, saying he would be expelled from school and issued a transfer certificate.

The father also alleged that another teacher had physically pushed his son on a previous occasion.

On the day of the incident, during a dramatics class, the boy reportedly fell, and a teacher humiliated him by mocking his "overacting." The harassment continued until the boy began crying, to which the teacher callously remarked that his tears meant nothing to her. The father added that the principal was present during this incident but did nothing to intervene.

The parents had previously lodged complaints with the school regarding the mental harassment their son was experiencing, but these complaints apparently went unaddressed.

Speaking to PTI, the father explained they had avoided taking more serious action because the Class 10 examinations were approaching. "His exams were due in one or two months. Twenty marks come from the school. I did not want to disturb anything," he said. The family had assured their son that he would be transferred to a different school after completing his examinations.

In the suicide note found in the boy's bag, he requested that whoever discovered the letter should call a specific number. He apologized for his actions but expressed feeling that he had no alternative given the circumstances at school.

The note included a wish for his organs to be donated "if they are in a condition to work." He wrote, "If any of my body works or is in condition to work kindly donate it to someone who really needs it."

Mentioning the principal and two teachers by name, the boy stated his final wish was for action to be taken against them to prevent other students from being driven to the same desperate act.

He apologized to his 20-year-old brother for his rudeness and to his father for not living up to his example. He thanked his mother for her unwavering support and asked her to continue supporting his father and brother.

His note concluded with the poignant statement: "I am sorry but the teachers have behaved badly with me."